In the Genesis story of Noah’s Ark, Noah first sent out a raven.
Genesis 8:7 says Noah sent a raven after the waters began to recede. The raven flew back and forth until the waters had dried from the earth. The passage does not describe the bird carrying a sign or returning with a plant.
Noah then sent a dove to see whether the waters had subsided. The dove returned because it found nowhere to rest, and after seven days Noah sent it again. On the second return, it carried a freshly plucked olive leaf, a widely recognized symbol of renewed peace and land.
Because the dove and olive leaf are more famous in art and popular culture, people sometimes remember the dove as the first bird released. The biblical sequence, however, places the raven first.