Noah first sent a raven from the Ark to check whether the Flood waters had receded.
Genesis 8:6–7 says that after forty days Noah opened the ark’s window and sent out a raven. The bird went back and forth until the waters had dried from the earth. Noah then sent a dove to obtain a clearer sign about the condition of the land.
The raven and the dove therefore have different places in the sequence. The raven is the first bird released, while the dove is sent three times in the following verses. On its second return, the dove carries a freshly plucked olive leaf, showing Noah that the waters had diminished.
Many retellings focus on the dove and omit the raven, which makes “dove” a common but incorrect answer to the question of which bird was sent first.