if intelligence is defined as the ability to perform these basic non-verbal tasks, then one can argue that to a first approximation all birds and mammals, including humans, are about equally intelligent! This conclusion remains controversial, but if it turns out to be true we shouldn’t be surprised. After all, every species, including mankind, has to negotiate the same perilous world; we all have to eat and drink and find mates. The basic cognitive skills enabling animals to perform these tasks might well be common to all species.
Exactly
