In Genesis, a raven was the first bird Noah sent from the ark to test the receding waters.
Genesis 8:6–7 says that after forty days Noah opened the window and sent out a raven. The passage says the raven went to and fro until the waters had dried from the earth. Noah then sent a dove to see whether the water had receded from the ground.
The dove receives more attention in retellings because it returns with an olive leaf and is sent again before finally not returning. That prominence often causes readers to remember the dove as the first bird. In the biblical sequence, however, the raven comes first.
The two birds serve different narrative functions. The raven’s repeated movement provides an initial test, while the dove’s returns give Noah more specific evidence about the condition of the land. The account does not identify the raven as carrying a leaf or branch.