In Genesis, Noah released a dove three times after the Flood.
Genesis 8 describes Noah sending out a dove to test whether the waters had receded. The first time, the dove returned because it found no place to rest. Seven days later Noah sent it again, and it returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf. After another seven days, Noah sent the dove a third time, and it did not return.
The three releases create a gradual sequence of evidence: no resting place, newly visible vegetation, and enough dry land for the bird to remain away. This is why the dove has become the best-known animal in artistic depictions of Noah’s Ark, often shown carrying an olive branch.
The dove should not be confused with the raven mentioned immediately before it. Genesis says Noah sent the raven first, then the dove. The text also does not say that the dove carried a branch; it specifically says an olive leaf, a detail often simplified in later art and popular symbolism.