What did the dove bring back to Noah's Ark in its beak?

The dove brought an olive leaf back to Noah's Ark in its beak.

Genesis 8:11 says the dove returned in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf. Noah understood this as evidence that the Flood waters had receded from the earth. The scene follows an earlier release when the dove returned without finding a place to rest.

The olive leaf became one of the most recognizable symbols associated with peace, hope, and the end of danger. The biblical passage itself uses it as a practical sign: vegetation was again visible above the waters.

The story is sometimes shortened to “the dove brought an olive branch.” The text specifically describes a freshly plucked olive leaf, while later artistic and cultural traditions commonly depict a branch. That wording difference explains why both versions appear in retellings.