In the Genesis account of Noah's Ark, a dove first returned with evidence of dry land.
After the Flood waters began to recede, Noah released a raven from the ark. He then sent out a dove to discover whether the waters had gone down. The first time, the dove found no place to rest and returned to Noah. After seven days, Noah sent it out again, and it came back carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf.
The olive leaf showed that vegetation had reappeared above the waters. Noah waited another seven days and released the dove a third time; it did not return. The sequence makes the dove the bird that supplied the recognizable sign of recovering land, while the raven served an earlier scouting role.
Because the olive branch became a broader symbol of peace, people sometimes remember the bird and branch together as a single image. The Genesis text, however, specifically says that the bird was a dove.