In Genesis, Noah first sent a raven out from Noah’s Ark after the Flood.
Genesis 8:7 says that Noah sent out a raven after the waters began to decrease. The bird went back and forth until the waters dried from the earth. The passage then describes Noah sending a dove to find out whether the waters had receded from the ground, making the raven the first bird mentioned in this sequence.
The dove receives more attention in popular retellings because it returns with a freshly plucked olive leaf. Noah sends it out again, and it does not return, showing that the land has become habitable. This later dove episode is why a dove carrying an olive branch became a widely recognized symbol of peace and hope.
The raven and dove serve different narrative functions. The raven’s movements indicate that the flood environment is changing, while the dove provides a clearer sign that vegetation and dry ground have reappeared. Confusing the two birds is common because the dove is the more familiar artistic symbol associated with the ark story.