Noah's Ark, homing instinct: raven vs dove

[tonychanyt]

ESV, Genesis 8:

5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. 6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7 and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.

Did the raven return to the ark?

Keil and Delitzsch explained:

The raven went out and returned until the earth was dry, but without being taken back into the ark, as the mountain tops and the carcases floating upon the water afforded both resting-places and food.

The raven did not return to its abode inside the ark. In contrast, the dove returned to Noah's hand.

NIV:

6 After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark 7 and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. 9 But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark.

The raven was not a clean bird; the dove was. The raven was content scavenging around the Ark, while the dove wanted to get back inside with Noah.