Delivering a somewhat fresh perspective on Warner Bros.'s popular predator/prey scenarios, Henery Hawk (who first appeared in 1942 as the brainbird of animator Chuck Jones) didn't garner his laughs by outwitting some bib-bearing, chops-licking feline.

To the contrary, he was a spitfire little chicken-hunter whose major guffaws came from his inability to nab the prey. And what, you ask, was his impediment? Why, his inability to distinguish a chicken (his only intended prey) from a hole in the barn, of course.

Henery was introduced in a 1942 cartoon called The Squawkin' Hawk, in which he headlined and starred.

In 1946's Walky Talky Hawky, Henery faced off against the strapping Foghorn Leghorn (who would've been an ideally tasty catch for our little hawk). Though the cartoon was incredibly well received--and even garnered director Robert McKimson an Oscar nomination--it served as a star-making vehicle for Foghorn, not Henery. But don't count our favorite ham-fisted Hawk out just yet.

Henery's third appearance came in 1947, and he went on to appear in eight additional shorts from 1948 through the mid-1950s before the final 1960s appearance. He was usually Foghorn Leghorn's costar, but he remained a central character to the stories.

Henery also landed a monthly comic book story in Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies as early as 1943, and was popular enough with readers that the series continued in Looney Tunes until 1954— and then moved over to become a backup feature in Bugs Bunny for many years afterward. Henery, not Foghorn, was always the title character in these stories, showing his popularity. From the start through the early 1960s, the artist on these was the great Vivie Risto, formerly a WB animator.

Henery was also the title character in some children's record albums of the 1950s, including Henery Hawk's Chicken Hunt and Wild West Henery Hawk. All were issued by Capitol Records.

Today Henery is no longer a title character, but he continues to appear in Foghorn's stories in DC's Looney Tunes, and he appears on some items of merchandise, so there's still room for a character revival.