A raven was the first bird Noah sent from the ark in the Genesis flood narrative.
Genesis 8:7 says Noah sent out a raven after the waters began to recede. The raven flew back and forth until the waters dried from the earth. Noah then sent a dove, beginning a separate sequence of tests for dry land.
The dove returned because it found nowhere to rest. After seven days Noah sent it again, and it came back with a freshly plucked olive leaf. A further seven-day interval preceded the dove’s final release, when it did not return. These bird episodes mark the gradual transition from the flood to the restoration of habitable land.
Popular retellings often mention only the dove and omit the raven. In Genesis, however, the raven appears first, making it distinct from the later dove and olive-leaf episode.