In the biblical Noah’s Ark story, what did the dove return with in its beak?

In the biblical Noah’s Ark story, the dove returned with an olive leaf in its beak.

Genesis 8 describes Noah sending out a dove after first releasing a raven. The dove initially finds no place to rest and returns to the ark. Noah sends it out again seven days later, and it comes back toward evening carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf. This gives Noah evidence that the floodwater has receded from the earth.

The olive leaf became one of the most widely recognized symbols of peace and renewal. In the story itself, however, its immediate function is practical: it signals that vegetation is visible again and that the land is becoming suitable for life. Noah sends the dove out once more, and it does not return.

Art and popular culture often show a white dove carrying a green branch. That image is based on the Genesis episode, although the text specifically mentions an olive leaf rather than a generic branch.