In the Genesis account, a raven was the first bird Noah sent from the ark after the flood.
Genesis 8 says Noah opened the ark’s window and sent out a raven. The raven flew back and forth until the waters had dried from the earth. Noah then sent a dove to determine whether the floodwaters had receded from the ground.
The dove became the more famous bird in the story because it was sent multiple times. On its second flight, it returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf, showing Noah that vegetation had reappeared. On its third flight, the dove did not return, indicating that it had found a place to rest.
Because the dove and olive leaf are so strongly associated with the flood story, people sometimes remember the dove as the first bird. In the sequence given by Genesis, however, the raven comes first.