After the floodwaters began to recede, Noah first sent a raven from Noah's Ark.
Genesis 8:6–7 says Noah opened the ark's window after 40 days and sent out the raven. The bird went back and forth until the waters had dried from the earth, according to the biblical account.
Noah then sent a dove to test whether the water had receded from the ground. The dove's role is more widely remembered because it later returned with an olive leaf, but it was not the first bird released.
This sequence is a common source of mix-ups. The raven appears first in Genesis, followed by the dove on several flights. The account presents both birds as part of Noah's effort to determine when leaving the ark was safe.