In Genesis, which birds did Noah send out to check whether the Flood waters had receded?

In Genesis, Noah sent out a raven and a dove to check whether the Flood waters had receded.

Genesis 8 says Noah opened the Ark’s window and first sent out a raven. He then sent a dove to see whether the waters had diminished from the ground. The dove returned because it found nowhere to rest, later came back with an olive leaf, and finally did not return after a subsequent release.

The two birds have different roles in the narrative. The raven’s flight is mentioned briefly, while the dove’s repeated flights create a sequence of increasingly hopeful signs. The episode shows Noah gathering information before leaving the Ark rather than simply acting when the rain stopped.

This account is sometimes simplified into the idea that Noah sent only a dove. Genesis explicitly names both birds. It also does not say that the dove returned with a branch on its first flight; the olive leaf appears on the second release described in the passage.