In Genesis, Noah first released a raven from the Ark.
After the Flood waters began to recede, Genesis 8 says Noah opened the Ark’s window and sent out a raven. The raven flew back and forth until the waters had dried from the earth. Noah then sent a dove to determine whether the ground was clear.
The dove returned because it initially found no place to rest. After seven days, Noah sent it out again, and it returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf. A final release of the dove produced no return, signaling that the land was becoming habitable.
The raven and dove have different roles in the narrative. The raven is the first bird named as released, while the dove is the bird associated with the olive leaf. Later artistic traditions frequently focus on the dove and may cause readers to overlook the earlier raven episode.