What was the first bird that Noah sent out from the ark?

A raven.

The biblical narrative of Noah’s Ark is a timeless tale that speaks to the themes of human resilience, divine intervention, and hope. Central to this story is the moment when Noah, after enduring the deluge, seeks to determine whether the floodwaters have receded enough to exit the ark and start anew on dry land. To make this determination, Noah released birds from the ark to see if they would find dry land.

The first bird that Noah sent out from the ark was a raven. As described in the Book of Genesis (specifically, Genesis 8:6-7), after 40 days of rain and an extended period within the ark, Noah opened a window and released the raven. The scripture says, “And he sent forth a raven, which went to and fro until the waters were dried up from off the earth.” Unlike some of the subsequent birds Noah released, the raven did not return with any indication of dry land. The raven’s “to and fro” motion suggests that it kept flying back and forth without finding a suitable place to land, implying that the floodwaters still covered the earth.

Subsequent to the raven, Noah released a dove. The dove’s experiences are detailed more extensively in the Bible. On its first journey, the dove returned without any sign, indicating that there was still no dry land. However, upon its second release, the dove returned with an olive leaf in its beak, signaling that the floodwaters were receding and vegetation was starting to grow again. On its third release, the dove did not return at all, a clear indication that the land was now habitable.

While the raven’s role in this story is brief compared to the dove’s, its inclusion is significant. The raven and the dove, two distinctly different birds in terms of symbolism and behavior, together paint a complete picture of the conditions outside the ark. The raven’s flight hinted at the persistence of the floodwaters, while the dove’s journeys showcased the gradual return of life and vegetation to the earth.