Noah released a raven first after the Flood waters began to recede.
Genesis 8:7 says Noah sent out a raven, which went back and forth until the waters had dried from the earth. The passage then describes Noah sending a dove on separate occasions to test whether the surface had become habitable.
The raven and dove therefore have different places in the sequence. The dove’s later return with an olive leaf is especially famous, but it was not the first bird named as being released.
After the birds’ messages and further waiting, Noah removed the ark’s covering and eventually left the vessel when God instructed him to do so. The episode is part of the narrative’s gradual account of the Flood’s retreat.