In the Genesis flood story, what animal does the dove bring back to Noah?

In the Genesis flood story, the dove brings Noah an olive leaf. After the first dove returns without finding a resting place, Noah sends it out again seven days later. It comes back in the evening carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf, showing that the floodwaters have receded enough for vegetation to grow or reappear.

The olive leaf became one of the most widely recognized symbols of peace, reconciliation, and hope. Its meaning in later art and diplomacy grew beyond the immediate biblical scene, but the image remains closely associated with Noah's Ark.

Genesis then records another seven-day interval before Noah sends the dove out again. This time it does not return, indicating that the land has become suitable for life. The dove is therefore not merely a decorative detail: it functions as a practical test of changing conditions. The earlier raven and the later dove belong to a sequence of observations about the flood's retreat.