In Genesis, Noah first sent a raven from Noah’s Ark to look for signs that the Flood had receded.
Genesis 8:7 says Noah released a raven after the waters began to diminish. The raven flew back and forth until the waters dried from the earth. Noah later sent a dove on separate occasions, making the raven the first bird named in this part of the account.
The dove is more famous in popular culture because it eventually returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf, a sign that vegetation had reappeared. That memorable image often causes people to overlook the earlier raven episode. The two birds serve different narrative roles: the raven is sent first, while the dove provides progressively clearer evidence that the land is becoming habitable.
The story does not say that the raven returned to Noah in the same way the dove did. It describes the bird moving back and forth while the waters receded.