What did the dove bring back to Noah after the floodwaters began to recede?

The dove brought Noah a freshly plucked olive leaf after the floodwaters began to recede.

Genesis 8:11 says the dove returned in the evening carrying the leaf. The discovery showed Noah that vegetation had reappeared above the water and that the land was becoming habitable again.

Noah sent the dove more than once. On its first flight, it returned without a reported leaf because it could not find a resting place. After the olive-leaf flight, Noah waited seven more days and released it again; this time it did not return.

The olive leaf later became an internationally recognizable emblem of peace, reconciliation, and hope. In the biblical narrative, however, its immediate purpose is practical: it is evidence that the flood had receded. The text says “olive leaf,” not an olive branch or another type of plant.