In Genesis, Noah first released a raven from the Ark to test the floodwaters.
Genesis 8 describes Noah waiting until the waters had receded before opening the Ark’s window. He sent out a raven, which flew back and forth until the waters had dried from the earth. The passage then describes a sequence involving a dove, making the two birds easy to reverse in memory.
Noah later sent a dove on separate occasions. At first it found no resting place and returned to him. After another seven days, it returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf, and after a further interval it did not return. That final absence signaled that the land was becoming habitable.
The raven and dove serve different narrative roles. The raven’s continuous flight is mentioned first, while the dove provides the more familiar sign of emerging vegetation. This Genesis detail is distinct from flood stories in other ancient traditions.