In the Genesis account of Noah’s Ark, Noah sent out a dove after the raven to test the receding waters.
Genesis 8:8 says Noah sent the dove to see whether the waters had subsided from the surface of the ground. The bird initially returned because it found no place to rest. After seven days, Noah sent it again, and it came back carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf.
Noah sent the dove a third time after another seven-day interval. It did not return, suggesting that the land was becoming habitable outside the Ark. This three-stage sequence makes the dove an information-gathering part of the story rather than merely a decorative symbol.
The dove is often remembered more strongly than the raven because of the olive leaf and its later cultural association with peace. Nevertheless, Genesis names both birds and gives them a clear order: the raven first, followed by the dove. That order distinguishes this question from the related question about the first bird released.