Genesis says Noah released a raven before he released the dove.
Genesis 8:7 records that Noah sent out a raven after the floodwaters had begun to decrease. The bird went to and fro until the waters dried up from the earth. Noah then sent a dove, beginning the better-known sequence involving the olive leaf.
The raven's role is easy to overlook because later retellings usually emphasize the dove. Yet the biblical order is explicit: raven first, dove second. The two birds also behave differently in the narrative. The raven is described as continuing to fly back and forth, while the dove returns to Noah when it cannot find a place to rest.
Ravens are adaptable scavenging birds, but the text does not explain the behavior in modern ecological terms. The episode functions as part of Noah's method for testing whether the land was becoming habitable. The later dove episode provides the story's more memorable visual sign of renewed vegetation.