It is one of the most threatened bird species by climate change and a massive range reduction is projected in the future.

The white-tailed swallow is a sexually dimorphic bird; coloration and tail length differ between male and female.

[7] Woody encroachment is the overgrowth of "unpalatable thorny shrubs" that dominates other plants and is caused by several factors, specifically fire suppression and overgrazing.

[8][9] Fire suppression in the Yabelo Wildlife Sanctuary is a factor in the overgrowth of shrubbery where the white-tailed swallow cannot live or breed comfortably.

[7] Overgrazing is caused by humans through poor rotation of crops or by allowing farm animals to overfeed on the pastures.

Both fire suppression and overgrazing lead to woody encroachment which further hinders the white-tailed swallow's habitat range.

As mentioned before, overgrazing is a threat to habitat loss of the white-tailed swallow because it can result in woody plant encroachment.

Due to its extremely unusual and specific temperature requirements for breeding, the white-tailed sparrow (along with the sympatric Stresemann's bushcrow, Zavattariornis stresemanni) is considered one of the most threatened birds by climate change; it could lose up to 68% of its range in even the best-case climate scenarios, and as high as 84% in the worst-case scenarios.

The birds and their projected decline may be used as indicator species for climate change, allowing them to test the reliability of habitat models for other threatened animals.

[5][10] The Yabelo wildlife sanctuary, located in southern Ethiopia, is a protected area in which the white-tailed swallow can be found.

Additionally, traditional huts in the Yabelo-Mega region influence the prevalence of the white-tailed swallow and their ability to build nests.

[6] The white-tailed swallow tends to builds its nests in traditional Borana huts and termite mounds.

[6] The white-tailed swallow does not seem affected by the presence of humans and will build their nests inside occupied huts.