In Genesis, Noah’s dove brought back an olive leaf as proof that the waters had receded.
Genesis 8:11 says the dove returned to Noah in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf. Noah understood this as evidence that the waters had withdrawn from the earth’s surface. The episode is one of the most recognizable details in the Noah’s Ark narrative.
The olive leaf later became a widespread symbol of peace, reconciliation, and hope, although the Genesis passage itself focuses on the practical sign that land and vegetation were becoming available again. The text calls it an olive leaf rather than an entire branch, and it specifically says the leaf was freshly plucked.
The dove’s earlier release produced no such sign, and a later release did not return. These three releases are sometimes compressed into a single scene in retellings, but Genesis presents them as separate attempts.