Al Ra'biyah is a pigeon found across the deserts and open country of the UAE and is therefore known as the wild pigeon. It is described as small and attractive, with grey-brown plumage, a black collar around its neck, a grey beak, short pinkish legs and a beautiful, plaintive call heard during the day. It builds its nests in places far from people to protect its young. It is said that a kind woman once lived with her only child in the desert. They lived in an isolated place far from other people because circumstances had led everyone else to leave the area, leaving the woman and her son alone in that desolate place. The good woman relied on herself and her young son to meet their personal needs without assistance from anyone, with no provider, income or contact with other people except when a caravan passed by or temporarily camped nearby before moving on. In such cases, the woman would sometimes send her son to ask for something they needed, while at other times members of the caravan would send them whatever food, supplies and small comforts they could spare. One day, after caravans had been absent from that route for a long time, she saw a bright fire in the distance opposite their home. Their own fire had gone out and their charcoal had also been exhausted, so she decided to send her son to bring back a flame from these new visitors. The young boy went out into the pitch darkness while his mother watched until he disappeared from sight. She sat waiting for him to return safely with the fire, but minutes and then hours passed and he did not return. She immediately headed toward the fire, but as soon as she approached it, the fire disappeared. She continued crying and calling out for her beloved son, running here and searching there, but without success. The fire had not been an ordinary fire; according to the tale, it was a fire lit by the jinn to lure people toward them and devour them. The poor mother’s grief became overwhelming, burned by the pain of losing the person dearest to her. The absent boy would never return. As her grief and desire to continue searching for him intensified, she transformed into a Ra'biyah pigeon, flying from place to place in search of her lost child and singing of his loss.