In Genesis, what did Noah's dove return carrying from outside the Ark?

In Genesis, Noah’s dove returned carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf.

Genesis 8:11 says the dove came back to Noah in the evening with an olive leaf in its beak. Noah understood this as evidence that the floodwaters had receded enough for vegetation to be visible again.

The episode is one of the most recognizable scenes in the Ark narrative. The olive leaf became a widely used symbol of peace, hope, and the end of danger, although Genesis itself presents it primarily as practical information about the state of the land.

The passage does not say that the dove carried an entire branch, nor does it describe the leaf as a fig or cedar leaf. It specifically calls it an olive leaf. The dove was sent out again later and did not return, showing Noah that the earth was becoming suitable for life outside the vessel.