The dove brings Noah an olive leaf to show that vegetation has reappeared.
Genesis 8:11 says that the dove returns in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak. Noah understands this as evidence that the floodwaters have receded enough for plant life to be visible again.
The olive leaf became one of the best-known visual symbols associated with the ark story. It is often combined with a dove to represent peace, hope, reconciliation, and the return of life after disaster. The biblical passage itself, however, presents the leaf first as practical evidence about the landscape.
The detail also explains why the dove is more famous than the raven in later retellings. The raven's flight provides an earlier test, but the dove's return with a tangible sign creates a memorable turning point. The account does not say that the dove carries a branch; it specifically mentions a freshly plucked olive leaf.