According to Genesis, Noah first sent out a raven to test conditions after the Flood. Genesis 8:7 says he released the raven after the Ark came to rest and the waters began to recede.
The raven was followed by a dove, which Noah used repeatedly as the land became more habitable. The dove’s later return with an olive leaf is more famous, so many retellings omit or reverse the order of the birds.
Genesis presents the releases as part of the Ark’s final phase, before God tells Noah to leave. The account does not describe Noah sending out a goat, lamb, or other land animal as a test. Those animals are mentioned in the wider story, but the first explicitly released test bird is the raven.