Jonathan Weiner was inspired to write Beak of the Finch after reading about a young boy who had been killed by a finch. The boy's parents had tried to save him, but the bird had pecked him to death. This tragic event made Weiner want to learn more about these creatures and their evolution. He decided to follow a group of Darwin finches on the Galapagos Islands for several years, documenting their lives and how they were affected by changes in their environment.