What was the first land feature Noah saw after sending the dove?

The first land sign Noah received from the dove was a freshly plucked olive leaf.

Genesis 8:11 says the dove returned to Noah in the evening with an olive leaf in its beak. The leaf showed that the floodwaters had receded enough for vegetation to appear or remain accessible.

Noah sent the dove again after this report. On the next flight, it did not return, indicating that the bird had found a place to land. Genesis then records Noah removing the Ark’s covering and seeing that the ground was dry.

The olive leaf became a widely recognized emblem of peace and restoration. It is distinct from the dove itself: the dove was the messenger, while the leaf was the evidence that the landscape was recovering.