1)  Scientists have clocked Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at 27mph in a wind tunnel (other people say they've paced them w/cars much faster, but scientists have been unable to replicate). Note that we also accepted answers of 63mph in a dive.

2)  True.  Chickadees and other seed-caching birds discard used neurons (once a neuron is mapped, it can not be reprogrammed) and replace them with new ones.  This activity peaks in October, leading scientists to believe it's directly related to the seed-caching process.  Of interest: Chickadees in Alaska generate more new neurons each fall than other birds.  The reason?  They have more food caches!  Fascinating article on Cornell Lab of Ornithology's site: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/Birdscope/Autumn2008/change_minds.html

3)  True.  Other proposed, but not adopted state birds include the Eastern Goldfinch (1947 - since renamed to American Goldfinch), Mourning Dove (1951), Pileated Woodpecker (1951 and 1953), Scarlet Tanager (1951) and Wood Duck (1951).  The Common Loon was officially adopted as the state bird in 1961.

4) Oops! You caught us on this answer. Last year (2009), we sold an amazing 350,000 pounds! But, our savvy customers discovered that in the Joe's Mix article on the About Us page of our site, we listed more than 200,000 tons. That number was from a couple years ago - apparently our birds are suffering from economic cutbacks, too! We accepted both answers when compiling winners.

5) Starlings have an unusually developed sense of taste for songbirds (we were looking specifically for songbirds), according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  They can detect tannins (a bitter taste that they don't like, which is why the tannin-rich safflower is a great seed choice if trying to avoid starlings), salts, acids and even the variations in different types of sugar. This is why our Bye-Bye Starling mix works so well!