In Genesis 8, Noah released a raven before sending out the dove. The sequence begins after the waters had receded enough for Noah to open the ark’s window. Genesis 8:7 names the raven as the first bird sent out, and Genesis 8:8 then introduces the dove.
The raven’s flight is described as continuing back and forth until the waters dried from the earth. Noah’s later use of the dove is more detailed: he sends it out to find out whether the waters have subsided, and subsequent flights provide clearer information about the condition of the land.
This question is easy to confuse with the familiar image of Noah releasing a dove, but the dove was not first. The first bird in the Genesis sequence is a raven. The text does not identify that raven by an individual name or describe it as a different species such as a crow.