In Genesis, Noah first releases a raven from Noah's Ark after the flood waters recede.
Genesis 8 says Noah opened the ark's window and sent out a raven. The bird flew back and forth until the waters dried from the earth. Noah then sent out a dove to test whether the flood had subsided. The raven therefore comes before the better-known dove in the biblical sequence.
The dove returned because it found no resting place, then returned later with a freshly plucked olive leaf. After another seven days, Noah sent it out again, and it did not return. A common mix-up is to identify the dove as the first bird released, because the dove's olive leaf became the most familiar symbol associated with the episode.
The raven and dove serve different narrative roles: the raven is the initial test, while the dove provides increasingly clear evidence that the land is becoming habitable. Genesis presents both birds as part of Noah's efforts to determine when leaving the ark was safe.