What leaf did the dove bring back to Noah’s Ark?

The dove brought an olive leaf back to Noah’s Ark.

Genesis 8:11 says that the dove returned in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf. This showed Noah that the waters had receded enough for vegetation to emerge above the Flood. Noah sent the dove again later, and it did not return, indicating that the land was becoming habitable.

The olive branch or olive leaf consequently became a widely recognized symbol of peace, reconciliation, and hope. The biblical passage specifically mentions an olive leaf, although many artworks show the bird carrying a whole branch. Another common mix-up is the idea that the dove immediately found dry ground; in Genesis, it first returns to the Ark before the final release.