According to Genesis, a dove first returned with evidence that the Flood waters had receded.
Genesis 8 describes Noah sending birds from the ark to test whether the waters had fallen. He first sent a raven, which flew back and forth. He then sent a dove, but it initially found nowhere to land and returned to him.
Seven days later, Noah sent the dove again. It came back in the evening carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf, showing that vegetation had reappeared above the waters. After another seven days, Noah sent the dove once more, and it did not return.
The dove and olive branch later became widely recognized symbols of peace, although the Genesis passage presents them first as practical evidence that the flood landscape was becoming habitable. The raven and dove therefore have different roles in the sequence.