Its smooth and shiny dorsal scales and almost transparent covering make many of its internal organs quite visible, when observed against a light source.

The spaces between the black saddles are white, which makes Rhynchocalamus visually identifiable from similar looking species of the genera Eirenis and Pseudocyclophis, which often occupy the same habitat.

There are records from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and in 2013 was formally noted in Cyprus.

Populations from Armenia, Azerbaijan, northeastern Turkey, and northwestern Iran form the subspecies, Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus satunini Nikolsky, 1899.

It spends most of its time underground, and rarely may be found under rocks after heavy rains in spring and early summer.

Habitats of the black-headed ground snake have been largely irrigated or transformed into urban areas.