Answer
To quote debian's wiki:
There are several virtual packages used in Debian for Java. These cover runtime compatibility and come in two flavours; headless (omits graphical interfaces) and normal.
Or to be more exact, consider this description from Oracle:
Headless mode is a system configuration in which the display device, keyboard, or mouse is lacking. Sounds unexpected, but actually you can perform different operations in this mode, even with graphic data.