In the Noah’s Ark account, a dove was the first bird to return to Noah after he sent it out.
Genesis 8 describes Noah sending a dove through the ark’s window to discover whether the floodwaters had receded. The first attempt returned because the dove found no resting place. After seven days, Noah sent it out again, and it returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf.
Noah waited another seven days and sent the dove out a third time. It did not return, which indicated that the land was becoming habitable. The sequence gives the dove a clear role as a messenger of receding waters.
A common mix-up is to identify the dove as the first bird Noah released. Genesis says Noah first sent out a raven, then sent the dove. The dove is the bird associated with the olive leaf, while the raven is mentioned in the earlier release.