According to the Bible what was the first bird Noah released after the flood?

According to the Bible, the first bird Noah released from the ark after the flood was the raven. As the ark was resting on Mount Ararat, Noah released a raven and later he released a dove (Genesis 8). The goal of sending these birds at different times was to determine if the flood waters had abated enough for Noah and his family to exit the ark.

In Genesis 8:6-7 we read that at the end of forty days Noah opened a window of the ark. He used it to send a raven out. The bird went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. The flood lasted “40 days” then after that period the tops of mountains were visible once seven months had passed since the beginning of the flood. The raven was released and it never returned. No reason is provided regarding why a raven was first selected by Noah rather than another bird. However, it was known that a raven would eat carrion and would feed off dead animals in the water. The dove, on the other hand, would return to its point of origin if no land was found.

Noah sent a dove in Genesis 8:8-9: “Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.” Noah used a dove until it did not return. The dove was able to find a home on land. Humanity could now build a new world.