In Genesis, Noah sends out a raven first after the floodwaters begin to recede.
Genesis 8 says that Noah opened the ark’s window and sent out a raven. The bird went back and forth until the waters dried from the earth. Noah then sent a dove to test whether the floodwaters had withdrawn from the ground. The sequence makes the raven the first bird released in the account.
The later dove episodes are more famous because the dove returns with an olive leaf, showing that vegetation has reappeared. Noah sends it again, and it does not return, indicating that the land is becoming habitable. This has made the dove and olive branch enduring symbols of peace and renewal.
A common mix-up is to answer “dove” because it is the bird most strongly associated with the story. That answer describes the second bird Noah sends, not the first. Genesis distinguishes the birds and gives them different narrative roles: the raven’s repeated flight and the dove’s specific signs of drying land.