In Genesis, what did Noah’s dove return with in its beak?

In Genesis, Noah’s dove returned with an olive leaf in its beak. Genesis 8:11 says the dove came back in the evening carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf, showing Noah that the waters had receded from the earth.

The image became one of the best-known symbols associated with the Flood story. The olive leaf and dove are widely used to represent peace, hope and the end of danger, although the biblical passage’s immediate purpose is practical: it reports evidence that vegetation had reappeared above the water.

The detail is not the same as the later phrase “olive branch,” which became a broader expression for peace. Genesis specifically describes a leaf. In the sequence, Noah had already sent a raven and had sent the dove once before; the dove’s return with vegetation was the encouraging sign that dry land was becoming available.