In the Genesis account of Noah’s Ark, the raven was the first bird sent out to search for dry land.
Genesis 8 says that Noah opened the Ark’s window and sent out a raven after the floodwaters began to recede. The text says the raven went back and forth until the waters had dried from the earth. The passage then describes Noah sending a dove, which initially found nowhere to rest and returned to him.
Readers sometimes remember only the dove because it later returns with a freshly plucked olive leaf, the story’s clearest sign that vegetation had reappeared. The raven and dove therefore have different roles in the narrative. The raven is sent first, while the dove supplies successive signals: no resting place, an olive leaf, and finally no return. The account does not identify the raven’s species beyond calling it a raven.