In the Genesis flood narrative about Noah’s Ark, Noah first sent out a raven.
Genesis 8 says that Noah released the raven after the floodwaters began to recede. The bird flew back and forth until the waters dried from the earth. Noah then sent a dove, beginning a sequence of tests that showed whether the land was becoming habitable.
The raven and dove have different roles in the narrative. The raven’s repeated flight is described briefly, while the dove is sent three times and returns first with no leaf, then with a freshly plucked olive leaf, and finally does not return.
Popular summaries sometimes mention only the dove because its olive leaf became a familiar symbol of peace and renewal. However, the raven is explicitly the first bird named as released from the ark in Genesis.