A dove brought Noah an olive leaf after the Flood waters began to recede.
Genesis 8 describes Noah sending birds from the Ark to learn whether the waters had gone down. He first sent a raven, which flew back and forth. He then sent a dove, but it initially found no place to land and returned to him.
Seven days later, Noah sent the dove again. It came back in the evening carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf, showing that vegetation had reappeared above the waters. After another seven days, Noah sent it once more, and it did not return. The olive leaf therefore functions as a concrete sign that dry land was becoming habitable.
The dove with an olive branch later became a widely recognized symbol of peace. Genesis itself, however, presents the bird primarily as a messenger confirming the changing flood conditions.