In Genesis, Noah sent out a raven before he sent out a dove after the Flood waters began to recede.
Genesis 8:6–7 says Noah opened the Ark’s window and sent out a raven. The raven went back and forth until the waters dried from the earth. Noah then sent a dove, which returned because it found no resting place. A later dove returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf, and a final release did not return.
This sequence is distinct from the common shorthand that mentions only the dove. The raven is the first bird named in the post-Flood testing of the landscape, while the dove provides the more recognizable signs of emerging dry land. The story’s bird episodes are therefore not interchangeable.
The olive leaf has become a widely recognized symbol of peace, but Genesis presents it first as practical evidence that vegetation was visible again. The passage does not specify the raven’s species beyond calling it a raven, and it does not identify the dove as a particular breed.