In the Genesis account of Noah’s Ark, the dove returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf.
Genesis 8 describes Noah sending birds from the Ark after the waters began to recede. He first sent a raven, which went back and forth. He then sent a dove, but it initially found nowhere to rest and returned to him. After seven days, Noah sent the dove again, and it came back in the evening carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf.
The leaf showed that vegetation was visible again and that the floodwaters had fallen. A later release of the dove produced no return, which Noah understood as evidence that the land was becoming habitable.
The olive branch or olive leaf subsequently became a widespread symbol of peace and hope. The text itself specifically mentions an olive leaf, not a generic branch from an unspecified tree.