According to Genesis, Noah sent out a raven before sending the dove.
Genesis 8:7 says that Noah released a raven after the floodwaters began to recede. The bird went back and forth until the waters dried from the earth. Noah then sent a dove to test whether the ground had become habitable.
The dove appears in the more memorable part of the episode: it first returned because it found no resting place, then later came back with a freshly plucked olive leaf. A final release of the dove produced no return, signaling a further change in conditions.
Because the dove and olive leaf have become widely recognized symbols of peace and renewal, the raven is often omitted from simplified retellings. In the biblical sequence, however, the raven is explicitly the first bird Noah sends after the flood.