In Genesis's Noah's Ark account, Noah sends out a dove to test whether the floodwaters have receded.
After first sending a raven, Noah sends a dove from the ark. The dove returns because it finds no place to rest, then returns later with a freshly plucked olive leaf. When Noah sends it again and it does not return, he understands that the waters have receded enough for the bird to find suitable ground.
The dove’s olive leaf became a widely recognized symbol of peace and renewal, although Genesis presents it first as evidence about the state of the flooded landscape. The account does not say that the dove itself ends the flood.
The sequence is sometimes simplified into one flight carrying one olive branch. Genesis actually describes multiple releases and different outcomes, making the bird a gradual indicator rather than a single dramatic messenger.