In Genesis, Noah sent a raven out of the Ark before sending the dove.
Genesis 8:7 says Noah sent out a raven after the waters began to recede. The raven went to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. Noah then sent a dove, whose flights are described in more detail: it first found no resting place, later returned with an olive leaf, and finally did not return.
The sequence is often shortened in retellings, which can make the dove seem like the first bird Noah released. In the Genesis account, however, the raven clearly comes first. The two birds also behave differently in the narrative, although the text does not offer a detailed natural-history explanation.
The passage is a small but memorable part of the Ark story because it marks Noah’s attempts to learn whether the land had become visible. It belongs to the receding-waters section of Genesis 8.