In the Noah’s Ark story, a dove returned carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf.
After the Flood waters began to recede, Noah sent birds from the ark to test whether dry land had appeared. Genesis first records that Noah released a raven. He then sent out a dove, which found no resting place and returned. After seven days, Noah sent the dove again, and it came back with a freshly plucked olive leaf.
The leaf provided Noah with a clear sign that vegetation had reappeared above the waters. When the dove was sent out once more and did not return, Noah understood that the land was becoming habitable. The sequence therefore uses the birds as practical indicators within the story, not merely as decorative symbols.
The olive branch later became a widely recognized symbol of peace and reconciliation. In the Genesis narrative, however, the specific object is an olive leaf carried by a dove. The raven and dove are separate birds with different roles in the account.