Noah first sent out a raven from the Ark after the floodwaters began to recede. Genesis 8 says that Noah opened the window and sent the raven out, and it went back and forth until the waters dried from the earth.
After the raven, Noah sent a dove to find out whether the waters had subsided. The dove initially returned because it found nowhere to rest, then returned seven days later with a freshly plucked olive leaf. A third release, after another seven days, ended with the dove not returning.
Popular retellings frequently begin the bird sequence with the dove because the dove and olive leaf became the best-known symbols of peace and hope. In the Genesis order, however, the raven comes first. The two birds also serve different narrative functions: the raven’s behavior is described briefly, while the dove provides successive signs that dry land is becoming available.