In Genesis, Noah first sent a raven from the Ark to test whether the floodwaters had receded.
After the Ark comes to rest, Noah opens a window and releases the raven. The bird flies back and forth until the waters dry from the earth. Noah then sends a dove, which returns because it cannot find a place to rest. A later release of the dove brings back a fresh olive leaf, and a third release does not return.
The raven and dove serve different roles in this sequence. The raven is the first bird mentioned, while the dove provides the more familiar sign that vegetation has reappeared. This is why retellings sometimes incorrectly say Noah sent the dove first.
The episode is one of the best-known testing scenes in Genesis. It combines a practical search for dry land with symbolic imagery about renewal and the end of the catastrophe.