Which bird returned to Noah carrying a fresh olive leaf?

A dove returned to Noah carrying a fresh olive leaf.

Genesis 8:11 says the dove came back in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf. This gave Noah evidence that the Flood waters had receded enough for vegetation to reappear above the water. The episode follows the earlier release of a raven and an initial release of the dove that produced no landfall.

The olive leaf later became an enduring symbol of peace, reconciliation, and hope. That symbolic meaning is connected to the biblical scene, although the text itself presents the leaf primarily as practical evidence that the landscape was emerging from the Flood.

Genesis says Noah waited seven days before sending the dove again, then waited another seven days before releasing it a third time. The bird’s return with the leaf is therefore one stage in a carefully described sequence rather than the end of the entire story.